Note: Canned or cooked dried garbanzos may be used. If using dried, soak one-half cup dried beans overnight in cold water. Cook soaked beans until tender, then blend in blender until very smooth.

PIE DAY IS WEDNESDAY: Jan. 23 is National Pie Day, which brings up a recent recipe request. S.S. of Metairie asked for the pecan pie recipe from the White Kitchen barbecue restaurant.

"They made the most delicious pecan pie and I sure hope that someone has this recipe and would be willing to share it," S.S. writes. "What I particularly remember about it and liked about it is that the filling had more of a custard type consistency rather than the traditional jelled type consistency of pecan pies."

No mention of White Kitchen's recipe surfaced, but special thanks go to Slidell
resident E.B. and P.P. of LaPlace for offering help.

P.P. said the 100-year-old Cajun pie recipe she sent has a custardy base, instead of the usual clear one. She writes, "I have made this pie for about 50 years now. Each year someone calls me and asks why their pie didn't set like mine does. I ask, 'Did you use vinegar in it?' and they always say no. Don't ask (me) why, but it does make a difference in taste and consistency."

In a large bowl beat together the butter and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add corn syrup, cornstarch, vinegar, vanilla and salt. Stir until well mixed. Add pecans and stir well.

Pour mixture into the pie shell and bake about 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the filling comes out clean. Serve
warm or cold.

Variation: This pie can also be made with walnuts.

SPEAKING OF WHITE KITCHEN: G. McL. writes, "You may be too young but I'm sure that some of your septuagenarian and octogenarian readers remember the White Kitchen Restaurants in New Orleans, Slidell and U.S. 190, featuring their barbecue chicken.

"For a long time after the restaurants closed, their barbecue sauce was available in stores, but no longer. It's not as thick or sweet as most bottled sauces are. Does anyone have the recipe?"

MAKE PIE OR COOKIES: For Pie Day and for all things Cajun, a friend who is a wonderful cook sent this recipe and said I could share it with you. It is the recipe of her husband's late mother, and is "tremendously delicious." If she says so, it must be.

Her husband told me the crust is his mom's cookie dough, and it freezes very well. It's not your typical flaky pie dough. Although his mother never used a crust on top of the custard filling, he sometimes dresses it up with a lattice of additional dough strips.

Tarte a la Bouillie

Makes 2 9-inch pies plus extra dough, or 3 8-inch pies

Cookie crust:

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/2 can (7 ounces) sweetened condensed milk, well-stirred

1 tablespoon corn syrup

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar well. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Add sweetened condensed milk and beat. Add syrup and cloves.

Put flour in a large bowl and mix with baking powder. Add sugar and egg mixture to the flour; stir to combine.

This dough will be very sticky. Place on a well-floured board and knead until dough is rolling consistency, incorporating more flour as needed. With a well-floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/4-inch or thinner. Roll circles to fit two 9-inch pie pans (or 3 8-inch pie pans.)

Any extra dough can be cut into cookies or frozen.

Custard

1 (6-ounce) can evaporated milk

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups milk

6 tablespoons cornstarch

3 eggs

1/2 stick butter, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix milks together in a large saucepan and cook slowly over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Dissolve cornstarch in just enough hot water to dissolve, about 1/4 cup. When the milk starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch, a little at a time.

Beat eggs in a medium bowl, and add a little of the hot milk mixture to the eggs to temper them. Add the eggs to the milk mixture. Cook until mixture thickens to pudding consistency, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in butter and vanilla.

Pour into pie crusts and bake for 25 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake an additional 15 minutes, until custard sets and crust is well browned.

Serve warm or refrigerate. Delicious cold as well.

The archive of Times-Picayune recipes is at http://blog.nola.com/recipes